TABLE 2.
Diagnostic Evaluations and Therapies of Children With CAP, Stratified According to Whether They Received Adjunct Systemic Corticosteroids
| Overall (N = 20 703), n (%) | No Systemic Corticosteroids (n = 13 469), n (%) | Systemic Corticosteroids (n = 7234), n (%) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory tests and procedures | ||||
| Chest computed tomography or ultrasound | 778 (3.8) | 694 (5.2) | 84 (1.2) | <.001 |
| Respiratory virus tests | 3432 (20.9) | 2144 (20.4) | 1288 (21.7) | .051 |
| Arterial blood gas | 3399 (16.4) | 1972 (14.6) | 1427 (19.7) | <.001 |
| Complete blood count | 12 540 (60.6) | 8548 (63.5) | 3992 (55.2) | <.001 |
| Electrolytes | 7829 (37.8) | 5400 (40.1) | 2429 (33.6) | <.001 |
| Urine culture | 2508 (12.1) | 2034 (15.1) | 474 (6.6) | <.001 |
| Blood culture | 9580 (46.3) | 6709 (49.8) | 2871 (39.7) | <.001 |
| C-reactive protein | 4561 (22.0) | 2871 (22.3) | 1690 (23.4) | .001 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate | 1010 (4.9) | 854 (6.3) | 156 (2.2) | <.001 |
| Early pleural drainage | 519 (2.5) | 480 (3.6) | 39 (0.5) | <.001 |
| Mechanical ventilation | 823 (4.0) | 500 (3.7) | 323 (4.5) | .008 |
| Therapies | ||||
| Chronic asthma medicationa | 3886 (18.8) | 1584 (11.8) | 2302 (31.8) | <.001 |
| β-Agonist therapy | 10 971 (53.0) | 4788 (35.6) | 6183 (85.5) | <.001 |
| Vasoactive infusions | 689 (3.3) | 313 (2.3) | 376 (5.2) | <.001 |
| Antibiotic regimen | <.001 | |||
| Aminopenicillin | 1129 (5.5) | 593 (4.4) | 536 (7.4) | |
| Macrolide | 1780 (8.6) | 626 (4.7) | 1154 (16.0) | |
| Cephalosporin | 8751 (42.3) | 5914 (43.9) | 2837 (39.2) | |
| Macrolide and cephalosporin | 3160 (15.3) | 1829 (13.6) | 1331 (18.4) | |
| Cephalosporin and vancomycin/clindamycin | 2403 (11.6) | 1949 (14.5) | 454 (6.3) | |
| Macrolide and aminopenicillin | 217 (1.1) | 86 (0.6) | 131 (1.8) | |
| Macrolide, cephalosporin, and vancomycin/clindamycin | 304 (1.5) | 223 (1.7) | 81 (1.1) | |
| Other | 2959 (14.3) | 2249 (16.7) | 710 (9.8) |
a
Patients were considered to be on chronic asthma therapy if they received an inhaled steroid or a leukotriene-receptor antagonist on admission.